I. Field
The present invention relates generally to communication, and more specifically to techniques for making signal quality measurements for cells in a wireless communication system.
II. Background
In a wireless communication system, a wireless device may communicate with one or multiple “cells” at any given moment. A cell can refer to a base station or the coverage area of the base station, depending on the context in which the term is used. The cells in the system may be categorized as “serving” and “non-serving” cells. A serving cell is a cell that the wireless device is in communication with or is designated to receive messages from. A non-serving cell is a cell that is not a serving cell. A “neighbor” cell is a non-serving cell that may be near a serving cell and may be received by the wireless device.
The wireless device periodically makes signal quality measurements for the serving cell(s) as well as other cells in the system. The wireless device makes these measurements in order to determine whether there are any cells better than the current serving cell(s). This may be the case, for example, if the wireless device is mobile and moves about the system. If a better cell is found, as indicated by the measurements, then the wireless device may be handed from the current serving cell(s) over to the better cell, which would then become the new serving cell.
Cell measurements are important to ensure good performance for the wireless device and achieve high system efficiency. However, these measurements consume valuable resources (e.g., battery power) at the wireless device. There is therefore a need in the art for techniques to make cell measurements in an efficient manner in order to conserve resources.